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Specialties & ConditionsFetal & Neonatal Cardiology Educational Resources for Parents
To help prepare families for their time with the Fetal & Neonatal Cardiology Program, we developed a series of educational videos for our most discussed topics. Watch below.
After receiving an initial diagnosis of congenital heart disease, one of the most common questions families have is, "Can I breastfeed my baby after birth?"
If your goal is to breastfeed your baby, that is our team's goal as well. We work one-on-one with families to be able to safely provide breast milk for their babies – whether through direct breastfeeding, bottle feeding expressed breast milk or expressed milk through a feeding tube.
Lurie Children’s offers many resources for mothers and families, including certified breastfeeding specialists and international board-certified lactation consultants, that can help you reach your breastfeeding goals.
If you have any questions regarding breastfeeding your baby, please watch the videos below or contact our team at 1.866.338.2524 (1.866.FETAL24) or fetalhealth@luriechildrens.org.
For mothers who want to breastfeed, one of the most important things to do prior to the birth of your baby is to obtain a breast pump for home. Your insurance company can provide you with the pump and supplies needed. Having a personal breast pump allows for pumping when you are not in the hospital with your baby and is important to support a healthy milk supply.
Lurie Children’s offers many breastfeeding resources for mothers and families, including certified breastfeeding specialists and international board-certified lactation consultants who can help you reach your breastfeeding goals. Our team meets with families at the beginning of admission to discuss your breastfeeding goals so we can work with you to make them a reality.
Colostrum is the first liquid produced from a mother’s breast. It is packed with important nutrients and anti-infection properties that benefit your baby. Whether colostrum is given to your baby directly from the breast or pumped and given at a later time, we can ensure that your baby receives this beneficial substance.
Lurie Children's Fetal & Neonatal Cardiology team works with families one-on-one to help with the initiation of the breastfeeding process. We are available to answer any questions you may have related to breastfeeding, pumping and feeding your baby.
Many of our babies born with congenital heart disease are not able to go to the breast right away after birth. Because of this, we recommend mothers use a breast pump to promote and support milk production. Lurie Children’s and your delivery hospital can provide breast pumps and supplies to mothers who are planning on breastfeeding and/or pumping. We always recommend talking to your insurance provider to insure you also have a breast pump for home prior to the birth of your baby.
Every patient who is diagnosed with single ventricle in infancy will be provided with additional telehealth support until their second surgery as part of the Interstage Home Monitoring Program. This Telehealth Monitoring program will include weekly scheduled visits with the patient and family in their home, along with daily remote patient monitoring.
Following a child's second heart surgery, we anticipate one visit in Lurie Children's High Acuity Transition (HeArT) Clinic. From there, we return care to your primary referring cardiologist or a satellite clinic more convenient for your family. If there are feeding issues and nasogastric (NG) tube remains as part of the care, Telehealth Monitoring will continue, and we will utilize our team to wean your child off the tube six weeks following the date of surgery (when your child has fully recovered from the surgical procedure) and then transition to your local referring cardiologist.
Learn More About Telehealth Monitoring by watching the video below.
*Telehealth devices are on loan temporarily and are returned to Lurie Children’s at the time of discharge from the Interstage Home Monitoring Program (typically shortly after the second surgery).
The Single Ventricle Center of Excellence team at Lurie Children's is dedicated to fully preparing families for their transition from hospital to home. During the interstage period between newborn hospitalization and second surgical repair, ongoing monitoring of a child’s condition is critical to management. The unique program at Lurie Children’s has taken this monitoring one step further in collaboration with our Telehealth Programs to include weekly scheduled video visits with the patient and family in their home, along with daily remote patient monitoring.
